Plans For Nesting Platform For Osprey On East Haddam Swing Bridge

Ospreys nesting atop the swing bridge over the Connecticut River between Haddam and East Haddam. The state is considering putting a more stable platform on the bridge for the next nesting pair.

Ospreys nesting atop the swing bridge over the Connecticut River between Haddam and East Haddam. The state is considering putting a more stable platform on the bridge for the next nesting pair. (Courtesy of Mark Yuknat)

ERIK HESSELBERG,

Find out what addition the East Haddam swing bridge will get before spring.

HADDAM — Capt. Mark Yuknat says ospreys are opportunists.

The birds will claim the tops of lighthouses and navigational markers for nesting. But Yuknat – a veteran waterman who operates the Connecticut River excursion boat Riverquest – says he was surprised when he first saw ospreys erecting a large stick nest atop the East Haddam swing bridge.

That was four years ago. The "Swing Bridge Ospreys," as they are known, have dutifully returned each spring to nest atop the moveable truss bridge across the Connecticut River between Haddam and East Haddam.

"Ospreys have nest-fidelity," says Yuknat, whose 64-foot vessel, which he skippers with his wife, Mindy, docks at Eagle Landing State Park just below the bridge. "This nesting pair has returned every spring for four years." Ospreys are known to mate for life.

The bulky nest of tree branches crowns the bridge's main tower, and pivots as the moveable center span lurches out over the water to allow boats to pass. There is a constant hum of traffic from 11,600 cars crossing daily on the open-grated steel deck.

The osprey didn't seem to mind any of this, raising three chicks this season, which recently fledged. The birds have since migrated south for the winter, perhaps to the south Florida coast, the Yucatan Peninsula or even in the Caribbean.

When the pair returns in March, Yuknat hopes to have a surprise – their own nesting platform. "The sticks could fall down into the traffic lanes and that could be a hazard," he said. "Also, the first year, high winds blew the nest right off the top of the bridge. A nesting platform would be a nice addition."

State Rep. Melissa Ziobron, R-East Haddam, who is working with Yuknat on the project, is excited by the idea. "I think it's a wonderful idea to add an osprey nesting platform on the East Haddam swing bridge, and [The state Department of Transportation] seems amenable to the idea," Ziobron said.

She would also like to have a video camera installed near the nest, so people can watch the drama unfold from their computers. "I'm an avid birder myself, and have been watching the ospreys on the bridge for the past four years. Every time I see them, it fills me with wonderment."

By 1972, osprey on the lower Connecticut River dwindled to just a few of nests because of the extensive use of the pesticide DDT. The chemical was finally banned in 1970s.

Today, the lower Connecticut River is a birdwatcher's paradise. Aboard the Riverquest, Yuknat's passengers regularly observe kingfishers and egrets and great blue herons stalking the shallows for prey.

Yuknat says he never tires of seeing an osprey swoop down to snatch a fish, plunging feet first into the water, emerging, all wet but triumphant. Osprey can carry a fish weighing several pounds, which they rotate in their talons headfirst to improve aerodynamics.

Yuknat saw this drama play out again and again at the swing bridge this summer. "During nesting, the male usually hunts for food," Yuknat sayd. "When he catches a fish, he carries it to a high perch; he tears the head off and eats that himself. The rest is brought to the chicks."